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The Being Upfront program is available only to Personal Mastery graduates (including equivalent programs Mastery & Service, BoS and BEST) and represents the most advanced program in the TLA Personal Development range.
Being Upfront is about being even more of who you are – revealing greater passion, greater power and the many aspects of your personality. Being Upfront is designed to take you to a higher level of self awareness and expression in your day to day life – through powerful, spontaneous, direct and appropriate expression of you, as you are in every moment.
What’s special about Being Upfront?
There are many tried and true techniques for the improvement of personal presentation (across the full spectrum of what that phrase implies) – public speaking classes, ‘power’ dressing, an understanding of body language – and taken individually, they rarely help anyone move beyond superficial cover-ups of the underlying problem, the thing we’ve worked so hard to stay away from for fear of what will happen, self exposure.
Being Upfront works with the complexities of what it means for you to fully express yourself, what you think you’re risking, the parts of yourself that you’re unwilling to give full expression to, knowing why that is and choosing differently, re-capturing your creativity and spontaneity, as well as all of the technical aspects to assist you in truly being able to be upfront.
to be or not to be…
Often, the self exposure that we fear is connected not to how bad we think it will be, but more the potential of how good we could be. And it is through this fear that we effectively cut off parts of ourselves, lose bits of our personality, undermine our capacity to be in real relationships with others, and impact on our capacity to speak out for that which we believe in and want to make a stand for, including our own rights as human beings.
By now you know that the TLA environment is one that is safe enough for you to feel unsafe. That it’s ok for you to dabble in situations and experiences that up until now, have felt off limits. That you’ve tried new things and you’ve actually done pretty well. Being Upfront is no different and in fact, your overriding experience of this course is likely to be how much fun you had and how exhilarated you felt. Testament to this is how often we’re asked about developing an Upfront II. And of course, we’re never going to move away from our fundamental commitment to supporting you to be the best you you can be. We’re never going to shame or humiliate you. And we won’t permit anyone else to do that to you.
To know the true depths of who you are, to have an experience of your capacity, to take a step beyond your self imposed limits, to put you on the line, and to have a felt sense of having touched the people around you time after time after time, are all possible. All you have to do is say, YES!
The Being Upfront Teaching Team
We’re excited to announce the formulation of a teaching team for Being Upfront, lead by the brilliant Frank Zoumboulis. Frank is joined by a varied and talented team of people who bring specific areas of focus to the Being Upfront process including film & production, writing and performance, image, voice, body language, and entertainment expertise along with, of course, emotional intelligence and transformational learning skills. Frank has been involved in the work of TLA since 1991 and is a trained psychotherapist/somatic psychotherapist with expertise and training in dance, drama, movement and group processes. A small service team of our most skilled Service Team members with Being Upfront experience, including teachers of other TLA programs, complete the Teaching Team.
Being Upfront Course Details
Being Upfront is run over 14 Thursday nights and 3 big weekends. The weeknight sessions consolidate and continue the growth and learning of the weekend workshops, and further develop practical skills including presentation, ‘owning the space’, improvisation, voice work and more. You can expect teaching, movement and games as well as feedback from the Teaching Team and your peer group. Aspects of the Thursday nights are videotaped for self assessment and review.
Weekend One: ‘Inhibitions’
Using games, role plays, bodywork, various creative options and advanced meditative practices, we explore the principle of inhibition – the habitual holding back of aspects of self either through conditioning or lack of self knowledge. The purpose of the weekend is to develop strategies and understanding to support new forms for self expression.
Weekend Two: ‘Shadow’
The second weekend of Being Upfront works deeply with the ‘shadow’ aspect of personality, and particularly the power and creativity that gets locked away in your shadow. Through recognition and acceptance of ourselves and others, we build trust and willingness to express congruently and powerfully. Weekend 2 is a huge weekend that facilitates major shifts in self awareness and self acknowledgement.
Weekend Three: Celebration
The first step towards a life time of congruent expression of your personal power, charisma, spontaneity, and creativity. An opportunity for you to truly and honestly Be Upfront both individually and with your peers in a purpose built venue of your choice, with the people in your life who matter the most. It’s important to note that Being Upfront is not all about Weekend Three. Weekend Three is the most amazing starting point for your life of being upfront. It’s a time for you to celebrate all of who you are. To let go. To love. To live.
“throw your heart out in front of you…and run ahead to catch it” -- Arab Proverb
Is Being Upfront for you?
Yes, if you’re willing, ready and committed to taking the next step on your transformational journey.
Yes, if you want to feel more assured in your self expression, either socially or professionally.
Yes, if you want to develop the capacity to be in relationships rather than doing relationships.
Yes, if you’re currently in or contemplating a career in training, teaching or presenting.
Yes, if you’re wanting to pursue Administration or Teaching options with TLA (Being Upfront is a pre-requisite for both of these).
Yes, if you want to give full expression to all of who you are – and to have a lifelong memory of one of the most exciting experiences of your entire life against which you can measure all future expression.
Should I do it if I never want to present to groups of people?
There are no shoulds here (!!), but the reality is that the ‘Upfront’ component of the program is merely a vehicle for you to find ways to bring yourself more confidently and more authentically into relationship in a wide diversity of experiences and circumstances. There won’t be a moment when you’re not using the skills you’ve developed – and if by chance you do end up in front of a group, you’ll be safe in the knowledge that you’ve been there done that. Public speaking opportunities seem to arise at the most unexpected of times…
I’m already really good at presenting, what will I get out of it?
There is a huge difference between being competent in the delivery of material, and actually having the ability to ‘be’ in relationship with those with whom you’re delivering while ensuring that your message is accurately and powerfully delivered. If the skill you have developed upfront is about expertly covering your ‘imperfections’ – to ‘look good’ – then please understand that Being Upfront is not more of the same. How you respond to this is directly dependent upon your willingness to be honest with yourself, and how you actually are when you’re upfront.
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“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness that frightens most of us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?...
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you…
As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
-- Marianne Williamson
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